Other Means

Caught between the needs of his own superpower, and those of the local tribe he's supposed to coordinate with, Captain Mahli of the Protectorate must find a way to push the war effort forward -- and his own career in the process. More

The Protectorate is at war with a rival superpower, and the conflict is swallowing all in its wake. Captain Mahli's job is supposed to be simple: liase with a local tribe sympathetic to their cause, and guide and assist their fighters. But the traditions of the tribe run deep, and it isn't long before they break off from the needs of the war. Mahli needs to get the tribal fighters back to defending Protectorate interests. But the tribal elders can see right through him: why should they risk themselves to help his people?

Juggling the needs of his army, this tribe, and his own career, Mahli will have to navigate the politics of a people he barely knows -- with consequences he can't foresee. When an offer is made that appears to satisfy all three, he knows it's too good to be true. But the question remains, what kind of man is Mahli, after all?